Gisele won’t say the words every mother wants to hear. The nine-year-old can show her love with a gesture. A firm hug until her mother becomes breathless. But one fit of terrifying detachment is separated from another only by a poignant silence, or a sound that is an attempt to communicate but takes no shape.

Gisele’s mother has not been able to find the reason why Gisele does not speak and goes through seizures during which she falls, becomes stiff and cries. Lack of money for diagnostics meant that she could only wait for the attack to pass. We could not accept such powerlessness.

Thanks to your support, we were able to start the diagnostic process right away. Countless tests: neurological, imaging (MRI and EEG – all in Burkina Faso!), ENT and speech therapy all paid off.

What have we established?

– The girl suffers from epileptic seizures, so we immediately implemented medication to stop them!

– We suspect autism spectrum disorders, which we are monitoring and further diagnosing

– The lack of speech is not due to neurological problems; Gisele also has excellent hearing (and this is great news!).

So what is our plan?

Gisele needs the support of a speech therapist who will patiently, from scratch, teach her to utter words. Once a week, our cheeky girl gets provisions from us, goes to class and patiently practices her speech, quickly making progress. We haven’t forgotten about neurological care either – epileptic seizures can return at any time.

How can you help?

Gisele’s therapy, all the travel, provisions, follow-up visits to the neurologist and medicines cost money. Prices in Burkina Faso are not at all different from Polish prices. This is no small cost, which is why we have created a fundraiser. If you want to help Gisele say the most beautiful words in the world, go to the fundraiser and make a small donation – even if it’s the equivalent of a sandwich for the road. We know that together we can do it!